The Attorney General’s investigators, together with law enforcement officers in several North Texas counties, arrested 11 men for violating Texas sex offender registration requirements. Four parole violators were also arrested in the sweep.

Texans expect law enforcement to closely monitor these dangerous predators. Protecting children is our highest priority, Attorney General Abbott said. The Fugitive Unit will continue its aggressive crackdown on violent felons and missing parolees who pose a threat to our children.

Attorney General Abbott added: Thanks to a cooperative effort between the Fugitive Unit, the U.S. Marshals Service, and local police and sheriff’s departments, these dangerous criminals are behind bars.

The Fugitive Unit caught the 11 unregistered sex offenders as part of Operation Missing Predator, the Attorney General’s ongoing statewide initiative to locate and arrest fugitives who fail to update or maintain sex offender registration.

The Fugitive Unit worked closely with local police departments in Arlington, Dallas, Fort Worth and Pantego. The Attorney General’s investigators also teamed with the United States Marshals Service and sheriff’s offices in Anderson, Dallas, Grayson, Navarro, Parker and Tarrant counties to secure warrants and make arrests.

Attorney General Abbott’s Fugitive Unit works with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and other law enforcement agencies to pinpoint and arrest fugitives with a history of sex crimes against children who have violated parole or sex offender registration requirements. Parole violations include failing to report to parole officers or being present in areas that might allow them access to young children. Since operations began in August 2003, the unit has arrested more than 400 sex offenders.

To find out more about Attorney General Abbott’s efforts to crack down on sexual predators, visit the Attorney General’s Web site at www.texasattorneygeneral.gov or call (800) 252-8011.